The new Coalition leadership team is Jane Hume, Angus Taylor, Matt Canavan and Darren Chester. Photo: Darren Chester.
Queensland Senator Matt Canavan is the new leader of the Nationals, following David Littleproud’s shock resignation from the party’s top job yesterday.
Senator Canavan was elected leader in a Nationals party room ballot on Wednesday morning (11 March), with the Member for Gippsland Darren Chester elected as deputy.
Mr Chester is now the most senior Nationals MP in the House of Representatives, offsetting the fact that the leader, for the first time in the party’s history, is in the Senate.
It raises questions about how Senator Canavan could be deputy prime minister in a Coalition government – which is the convention under the Liberals-Nationals agreement – if he remains in the Upper House.
Senator Canavan would not buy into speculation that he might now seek to be elected to the Lower House.
“I’m number one focused on leading this great team right now,” he said.
“Yes, it’s not been our tradition, but it’s certainly not unprecedented for a leader to come from the Senate.”
Liberal John Gorton was the first and only prime minister to come directly from the Senate, but resigned from the Senate immediately once elected leader of his party in 1968 and successfully contested a by-election for a House of Representatives seat.
The Greens, traditionally a party of the Senate, have had numerous leaders based in the Upper House – including current leader Larissa Waters.
Senator Canavan, who defeated Bridget McKenzie and Kevin Hogan in the leadership ballot, is a right-wing conservative and says he wanted to be leader to save Australia.
“We are losing our country,” he said following his win.
“People are losing their standard of living. They’re losing their confidence.
“We’re losing our relaxed and larrikin nature, and we have to fight back for Australians.
“We have the resources, we have the people, we have the land, we’ve got the soil. We’ve got the rain when it comes, we’ve got everything we need here in this country.
“So all we need to do to revive our great nation is to have more Australian everything. We need to manifest hyper Australia here.
“We need more Australian babies. We need more Australian humour, more Australian jokes.
“We need more Australian everything. We don’t need to look overseas for the future.”
Mr Chester said he felt “incredibly honoured” to have been elected deputy leader, serving alongside Senator Canavan.
Besides the pair coming from different Houses of Parliament, the other stark difference is their political approaches.
Mr Chester is regarded as much more of a moderate in the party than is Senator Canavan.
“I acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the previous leadership team, David Littleproud and Kevin Hogan, who I consider great friends and champions for regional Australia,” Mr Chester said.
“As someone who was born and raised in Gippsland and chose to raise my own children in the regions, I understand how important it is that the voices of regional communities are heard clearly in Canberra.
“Small-town Australia needs louder voices than ever. After four years of this Labor government, Australians are worse off and too many people have been left behind.”
Senator McKenzie congratulated the new leadership team, saying Senator Canavan’s election was “absolutely fantastic” and that she was “excited about this next chapter” for the Nationals’ parliamentary team.
The new leader wants to claw back some of the ground the Coalition has lost to One Nation, saying he was concerned about the state of conservative politics in Australia.
He wants the Nationals to be a clear and favourable difference to what One Nation is offering.
“I’m very concerned that the identity politics of division that we’ve seen on the left is creeping into the right,” Senator Canavan said.
“I worry about where Pauline [Hanson] would take this country to an area of more division.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has also congratulated Senator Canavan and Mr Chester.
Mr Taylor was only recently elected leader of the Liberal Party himself, with Senator Jane Hume his deputy.
“I have worked closely with Matt and Darren for many years and know the conviction they bring to the Australians they represent,” Mr Taylor said.
“They understand regional and rural Australia. They understand the pressures facing families, farmers and small businesses, and they will provide strong leadership for the Nationals at an important moment for our country … Under the Coalition, Australians will know exactly what we stand for.
“Together with Matt and Darren, we will keep fighting every day for the country we believe in, because Australia is worth fighting for.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
